With vetoes McCrory asserts his independence

Published: Thursday, August 29, 2013 at 08:49 PM.

Gov. Pat McCrory last week executed another first for his new administration — he called for a veto-override session of the General Assembly.

The session, set to convene on Tuesday, was necessitated by his Aug. 15 vetoes of two bills. In both cases, we hope the governor’s actions stand.

McCrory vetoed House Bill 392, which would have required the Department of Health and Human Services to administer drug tests on Work First applicants suspected of drug abuse. People who test positive would have to pay the cost of the test. Taxpayers would be on the hook for the rest.

“This is not a smart way to combat drug abuse,” McCrory said in a news release.

The Senate had passed a much more objectionable bill in April that would have required everyone who applied for Work First — the monthly payment most people think of when they use the term “welfare” — to submit to a drug test and to pay the cost of that test up front.

The compromise was more palatable, but it still posed concerns about effectiveness and cost. The governor cited both factors as reasons for vetoing HB 392.

McCrory did, however, issue an executive order to put in place a second provision in the bill that required the state Justice Department to provide criminal background checks on public assistance applicants to a social services agency. Federal law prohibits fugitives and probation or parole violators from receiving federally funded welfare benefits.

Gov. Pat McCrory last week executed another first for his new administration — he called for a veto-override session of the General Assembly.

The session, set to convene on Tuesday, was necessitated by his Aug. 15 vetoes of two bills. In both cases, we hope the governor’s actions stand.

McCrory vetoed House Bill 392, which would have required the Department of Health and Human Services to administer drug tests on Work First applicants suspected of drug abuse. People who test positive would have to pay the cost of the test. Taxpayers would be on the hook for the rest.

“This is not a smart way to combat drug abuse,” McCrory said in a news release.

The Senate had passed a much more objectionable bill in April that would have required everyone who applied for Work First — the monthly payment most people think of when they use the term “welfare” — to submit to a drug test and to pay the cost of that test up front.

The compromise was more palatable, but it still posed concerns about effectiveness and cost. The governor cited both factors as reasons for vetoing HB 392.

McCrory did, however, issue an executive order to put in place a second provision in the bill that required the state Justice Department to provide criminal background checks on public assistance applicants to a social services agency. Federal law prohibits fugitives and probation or parole violators from receiving federally funded welfare benefits.

No reasonable person, regardless of political or social leanings, wants publicly funded benefits going to people who aren’t eligible. Unless the courts determine that the order oversteps the governor’s authority, an executive order seems a sensible way to impose the requirement.

The governor’s other veto was applied to House Bill 786, which was intended to ease E-Verify requirements for farmers who depend on seasonal migrant labor.

The governor says the General Assembly left a loophole that could allow other businesses to get around requirements intended to ensure they are hiring legal residents.

Given the previous votes on the two vetoed bills, it is possible that the House and Senate will override his decision; however, North Carolina’s legislative leaders are not obligated to reconvene if a majority of members in the House and Senate indicate in writing that they don’t want to do so.

As the first Republican-led legislature in 100 years, North Carolina’s legislative leaders pledged to make sure the taxpayers’ money is spent wisely, and that the state spends no more than necessary to run an efficient government. Allowing these vetoes to stand would do that.

In this instance, McCrory, is acting like a leader who is willing to look at legislation in detail and consider how it might hurt rather than help the state. It’s our wish that he would do so with every piece of legislation.